Bach Orgelbüchlein

The most famous collection of chorale preludes owes its title "Orgelbüchlein" to J. S. Bach's application for the Leipzig Thomaskantorat in 1723. In the absence of an academic degree, Bach wanted to prove his pedagogical qualifications through practical works - including the inventions and symphonies as well as the "Well-Tempered Clavier". Thus he also provided his most ambitious project of the Weimar period, a collection of chorale preludes, which was originally calculated to contain 164 pieces, with the misleading indication that these were pieces for a "beginning organist". In reality, the 44 completed compositions of the "Orgelbüchlein" are sophisticated masterpieces that impressively demonstrate the entire range of the so-called short chorale prelude.